Cuuuuuuuuursssssssse youuuuuuuuuuuuuu
[OVERVIEW]
*Disguise is an incredible ability, making Mimikyu immune to taking damage from the first attack that hits it. This allows Mimikyu to be a great revenge killer and nearly guarantees a turn to set up. As long as its Disguise is intact, Mimikyu checks major threats such as Garchomp, Tapu Lele, and Pheromosa.
*Ghost / Fairy is an awesome offensive typing, letting Mimikyu sweep teams despite its low Attack stat. It also has three immunities to make switching in easier.
*Mimikyu has a fairly good movepool, getting the offensive moves it needs to function and moves that can lure its common checks, such as Destiny Bond and Will-O-Wisp.
*Once its Disguise is broken, Mimikyu's mediocre stats become a much bigger problem, forcing it to usually stick to revenge killing or coming out late-game.
*Mimikyu may be great at tearing offensive Pokemon to shreds, but it struggles to defeat physically bulky Pokemon such as defensive Mega Scizor and Celesteela due to its unimpressive Attack stat.
*Mimikyu is unfortunately unable to revenge kill Mega Gyarados, one of the most dangerous sweepers in Battle Spot Singles due to Mold Breaker ignoring Disguise.
*Disguise does not protect Mimikyu from status, making Mikikyu especially vulnerable to burns and paralysis.
*After Pokebank, Mimikyu is likely to still be a fantastic revenge killer and sweeper. However, new defensive Pokemon such as Suicune, Ferrothorn, and Landorus-T are likely to be problematic or force Mimikyu to change its moveset up, and Choice Scarf Excadrill will be a viable new check to it with Mold Breaker.
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Play Rough
move 3: Shadow Sneak
move 4: Shadow Claw / Destiny Bond / Will-O-Wisp
item: Life Orb / Ghostium Z
ability: Disguise
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
*Swords Dance allows Mimikyu to clean up late-game and generally forces opponent to react to it immediately.
*Play Rough is the best physical Fairy-type STAB move available, and it lets Mimikyu effectively revenge kill Dragon-types with Shadow Sneak. Just note that its accuracy is 90%, so don't use it if Shadow Claw can already KO a threat.
*Shadow Sneak gives Mimikyu a form of priority. While it's not strong even after being boosted with Life Orb, it's great for picking off threats to preserve Mimikyu's Disguise, and it makes revenge killing Dragon-types much easier, since Play Rough will usually not OHKO them.
*Shadow Claw offers Mimikyu good coverage against Steel- and Poison-types, and with a Life Orb, it lets Mimikyu OHKO Tapu Lele and deal massive damage to bulky Mega Gengar.
*Destiny Bond lets Life Orb Mimikyu become more of a lure, allowing it to take down important, slower threats such as Celesteela and Porygon2 at the cost of coverage.
*Will-O-Wisp is another way to cripple some of Mimikyu's checks. The main goal is to cripple Scizor switch-ins, but it can also be a decent last-ditch effort against physical sweepers, and it also prevents Gyarados from setting up on Mimikyu before it Mega Evolves.
Set Details
========
*You should always run maximum Attack and Speed on Mimikyu, since Mimikyu's bulk is underwhelming.
*Life Orb is the best item choice most of the time, since it allows Mimikyu to sweep and revenge kill threats more effectively.
*A Jolly nature lets Mimikyu outspeed Modest Hydreigon and Timid Tapu Lele, and it can help against Mimikyu Speed ties. However, with an Adamant nature, Mimikyu has a more powerful Shadow Sneak and a much better shot at OHKOing Garchomp with Life Orb Play Rough. This also gives Mimikyu a near-guaranteed chance of 2HKOing Mega Gengar with Life Orb Shadow Claw after a burn.
*Ghostium Z can make Mimikyu an effective lure against certain threats such as Celesteela. If Mimikyu manages to get two Swords Dance boosts—one on the switch, one as Celesteela uses an attack—Mimikyu can OHKO Celesteela with Z-Shadow Claw; however,
Usage Tips
========
*While leading with Mimikyu can be okay against certain predicted leads such as Tapu Lele and Mega Gengar, note that Mimikyu will lose its utility fast if its Disguise is busted. It's usually best to save Mimikyu for later in the game to either revenge kill problematic Pokemon or sweep late-game.
*Be careful about switching Mimikyu in. While Disguise ensures that it won't be KOed, a busted Mimikyu is also fairly easy to KO with most offensive Pokemon. Either switch Mimikyu into a move it's immune to or when you think that Disguise won't be of much use anymore.
*Against bulkier teams, feel free to bench Mimikyu if it doesn't look like it can pull off a clean sweep or effectively take out a Pokemon via one of its luring tools.
Team Options
========
*Tapu Fini has very good synergy with Mimikyu, being a great Mega Gyarados check and using Misty Terrain to make Mimikyu immune to status conditions. It does decently against Cloyster as well, provided that Cloyster's Focus Sash is broken. Tapu Fini can also lure in Celesteela with an offensive set that uses Nature's Madness and Waterium Z.
*Arcanine has trouble with Mega Gyarados, but it does a great job against Mega Scizor and mixed Celesteela.
*Magnezone can be used to trap Celesteela and Scizor. Just be warned, +2 Thief from Scizor does a lot to Magnezone, and some Celesteela run Earthquake. If you are desperate against Cloyster, Magnezone can run Sturdy to survive Water-type attacks too. Magnezone also helps out with its slow Volt Switch, getting Mimikyu in without breaking its Disguise.
*Offensive Porygon2 can force Celesteela out and even runs Hidden Power Fire for Mega Scizor or Toxic for opposing Porygon2.
*Tapu Koko can run a Focus Sash to stop Gyarados from sweeping easily, and it can also force Celesteela out once.
*Celesteela can do well against Mega Scizor if it runs Flamethrower, and it also does okay against Cloyster.
*Buzzwole won't be KOed by Mega Gyarados even after it sets up, and it can restore its health back with Leech Life. Buzzwole also tends to defeat Celeseteela that lack Flamethrower.
*Tapu Lele shares weaknesses with Mimikyu, but its Psychic Surge blocks Mega Scizor's Bullet Punch, making it much easier to deal with. Be warned, this will block Mimikyu's Shadow Sneak.
*Garchomp can help deal with Steel-type Pokemon, and it can run lure sets with Fire-type moves to blast bulky Mega Scizor. Meanwhile, it lures Outrages for Mimikyu to take advantage of.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
*Wood Hammer actually does more damage than Shadow Claw, and the recoil doesn't matter too much for Mimikyu in many cases. It can also be made stronger when paired with Tapu Bulu. However, it has much worse coverage. It may be useful for hitting Suicune after Pokebank, though.
*Mimikyu gets Bulk Up, which can allow it to survive some physical attacks after its Disguise is broken. However, Mimikyu's mediocre Attack stat makes it harder to sweep with only a +1 boost.
*Taunt can be used to surprise Gyarados that attempt to set up before Mega Evolving and cripple defensive Pokemon.
* Using Z-Splash with a Normalium Z may seem cool for the +3 Attack boost, but Swords Dance with Life Orb actually does more damage, making it an inferior choice.
*Mimikyu gets Thunder Wave, which can be a good last-ditch move against sweepers. However, unless the Pokemon is fairly bulky, Mimikyu is usually better off defeating them directly.
*Mimikyu gets access to Trick Room. While it's very fast for a Trick Room setter, Disguise makes it a very reliable setter, and Mimikyu's also a slow user of Destiny Bond under Trick Room, which can be deadly against offensive threats.
*Disguise makes Mimikyu one of the best users of Red Card. While Mimikyu loses out on a serious amount of power, Red Card lets it force out almost any sweeper besides Mega Gyarados.
* Focus Sash makes Mimikyu even more difficult to take out, but the power loss is very noticeable.
*Lum Berry allows Mimikyu to deal with status. This item has a lot more potential after Pokebank, where prominent users of Will-O-Wisp such as Rotom-W will make their return.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Mega Scizor**: Mimikyu's only chance is to use a boosted Z-Shadow Claw + Shadow Sneak is if Mega Scizor doesn't use Roost. Otherwise, Mega Scizor is bulky enough to take on Mimikyu and defeat it with Bullet Punch.
**Physically Defensive Celesteela**: While it risks getting hit hard by Z-Shadow Claw, Mimikyu is unable to 2HKO Celesteela without a boost, and Heavy Slam hits it hard.
**Cloyster**: As long as Mimikyu has not gotten boosted Attack or is not carrying Will-O-Wisp, Cloyster can set up and KO it with Icicle Spear, busting Disguise with the first hit.
**Bulky Arcanine**: Intimidate makes handling Mimikyu easier, and Arcanine gets Will-O-Wisp to cripple it. However, it must watch out for Z-Shadow Claw.
**Mega Gyarados**: Play Rough deals serious damage to Mega Gyarados, but otherwise, it can smash through Mimikyu's Disguise thanks to Mold Breaker.
**Mega Metagross**: Although it's hit hard by Shadow Claw, Mega Metagross can revenge kill Mimikyu that haven't set up thanks to a faster Bullet Punch.
**Psychic Terrain**: Tapu Lele doesn't do well against Mimikyu on its own, but with Psychic Terrain up, Mimikyu's revenge killing utility is reduced due to Shadow Sneak being blocked. Timid Choice Scarf Tapu Lele also has a 90% shot at OHKOing Mimikyu once its Disguise has been broken.
**Alolan Ninetales**: Alolan Ninetales's fast Encore makes setting up a problem, and if it sets Aurora Veil up, Mimikyu fails to 2HKO it, while Alolan Ninetales 2HKOs Mimikyu back with Blizzard.
**Post-Pokebank Threats**: Choice Scarf Excadrill may become one of the best Mimikyu revenge killers due to its STAB Steel-type attacks and Mold Breaker. Suicune can put Mimikyu at risk of Scald burns if it lacks Wood Hammer. Landorus-T can effectively Intimidate Mimikyu that lack Will-O-Wisp. Breloom has the potential to smash Mimikyu through its Disguise with Bullet Seed.
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